Bangladesh tribunal begins probe against Hasina, 9 others for genocide, crimes against humanity

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has launched an investigation against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and nine others for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity committed between July 15 and August 5 during the student-led mass movement against her government.

A complaint was lodged on Wednesday with the tribunal’s investigation agency, naming Hasina, Awami League General Secretary and former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several other key figures within the party.

The complainant’s lawyer Gazi MH Tamim confirmed on Thursday that the Tribunal started the probe, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

He said the investigation agency started the investigation on Wednesday night.

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A complaint was filed on Wednesday with the investigation agency of Bangladesh’s International Crime Tribunal against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and several others, accusing them of committing genocide and crimes against humanity during the mass movement of the students against her government. The complaint came on a day when the interim government said that the murders conducted within the period from July 1 to August 5 would be tried by the International Crimes Tribunal.

“The complaint was filed by the father of one of the students who died in police gunshots during the massive street protests,” an official of the agency said.

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The complaint accused 76-year-old Hasina and the others of perpetrating the mass killings between July 15 and August 5, the day when Hasina resigned and fled the country, while the students and others who died during the period would come under the purview of the complaint as well, the official said.

In line with the procedure, the agency would need to investigate the complaints and then file a case before the ICT-BD, originally constituted to try the Bengali-speaking perpetrators of 1971 Liberation Wartime crimes siding with the Pakistani troops.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Thursday asked police to submit by September 15 the probe report of the case filed against Hasina and six others over the death of grocery shop owner Abu Saeed in police firing in the capital’s Mohammadpur area during the quota protests on July 19.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zaki Al Farabi set the date after the case was placed before his court for the next course of action.

Following Hasina’s resignation, a caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed in the country, promising to address administrative and political reforms and hold accountable those involved in the violence.

With inputs from agencies.